A South Ponte Vedra Beach woman was badly bitten Friday evening while using her body as a shield to protect her little 8-year-old Pomeranian from being killed by two attacking American bulldog-pit mixes.

Janice Kathy Doolittle, 66, survived with deep punctures and bites, but she couldn’t save her tiny Cassidy, who was grabbed by the dogs and torn apart.

St. Johns County Animal Control reports said Doolittle was walking down a path to the beach about 6:45 p.m. Friday when she spotted the two American bulldog-pit mixes, Sunshine and Bosco, in the water and being watched by a man who wasn’t their owner.

Bosco had been previously designated a dangerous dog, a legal definition requiring his owner to take reasonable precautions to protect the public and other animals.

According to Assistant Animal Control Manager Ed Martin, these restrictions include muzzling and leashing the dog when in public, buying liability insurance, required spay or neutering, microchipping and keeping the dog under physical control in a secure structure.

Doolittle knew the two American bulldog-pit mixes had attacked other dogs multiple times on that beach, so she immediately scooped up Cassidy and ran toward home, which was roughly 150 feet away.

“I didn’t want to take a chance,” she said Tuesday, calling from her doctor’s office. But both dogs ran after her, and Bosco jumped on her back and knocked her down.

The report quoted Doolittle as saying, “I tried to protect my dog in my belly area and (Sunshine) grabbed me by the leg and pulled me down to the sand. Both grabbed (Cassidy) and started tearing her apart,” the report said.

Doolittle suffered “numerous injuries and punctures” to both hands and ankles, and to her left knee and thigh. But worse than the injuries to her was losing her Cassidy.

On Tuesday, a grief-stricken Doolittle spoke of her little companion.

“She was the light of everybody’s life. Pure, uninhibited love. She’s the child we never had,” she said.

Somehow during the struggle, Savage tried to get both dogs off Doolittle and reportedly killed Sunshine by choking her to death. His statement later was that the “little white dog...was first noticed when (it came) within 10 feet from me.”

Doolittle said that is not true.

After the attack, Savage carried Sunshine’s body back to Shumer, who lived two doors away.

Shumer received two citations from Animal Control Officer S. O’Connor stamped “Mandatory Court.” One was issued because Bosco “was not under the control of custodian and was involved in an attack.” The second because Bosco and Sunshine “did attack and kill another dog.”

Under county ordinances, Bosco was subject to an immediate death sentence, which was carried out late Friday.

Martin said the euthanasia was carried out at the request of the dog’s owner.

Animal Control records indicate that:

■ Shumer was first cited in 2008 for a leash law violation.

■ In July 2012, Bosco got off his leash and came after someone’s pet, biting the owner in the process. Shumer and Animal Control signed a settlement agreement to keep Bosco from being deemed dangerous.

■ In August 2012, the person bitten in July complained to Animal Control that Shumer’s dogs were running without leashes or muzzles on the beach. Shumer received another citation.

■ In April, Robin Saltman said her husband David was walking their 35-pound male Tibetan terrier Cooper on the beach in April when Shumer’s dogs pulled away from a housekeeper walking them and charged.

“They pushed him into the ocean and attacked Cooper. The woman could not do anything about it. Our dog was bitten in four or five places. He was traumatized, he couldn’t stop shaking for three days. If one of them didn’t have a muzzle on, my husband and dog would be dead,” she said.

David Saltman didn’t get badly bitten, but he had to carry Cooper’s bleeding body a half mile, she said. Both were soaking wet from being pushed into the ocean, which she thinks might have helped save their lives.

“Shumer was fined $500 for each dog this time and they were let go,” Robin Saltman said. “Two weeks later they were running on the beach again. How can Animal Control turn them back to this woman knowing how negligent she is?”

After the attack on Cooper, Shumer sent the Saltmans an email saying her dogs were loving and slept with her grandchildren and her veterinarian “could substantiate that these dogs were of good character.”

However, the vet denied writing that.

“Everything she wrote us was a lie. Instead of Sunshine, they should have named that dog Nightmare,” Saltman said. “The neighborhood is glad that both of them are dead. Now we can enjoy the beach again.”

Doolittle knows Shumer and said there had never been animosity between them. She’d even taken care of Shumer’s cats.

Martin said that the State Attorney’s Office will look at the Doolittle case.

Assistant County Administrator Jerry Cameron, who oversees Animal Control, said that this case is a warning.

“Folks need to understand that if they have a dog that has been deemed dangerous, and it harms another animal or person, they have a criminal liability at that point,” he said.

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Another reason to carry a weapon. So sorry for this lady's senseless injuries and loss of her beloved pet. These dogs owner is another example of pure disregard for the safety of others. The dog owner, in this case, should have criminal charges brought against her for knowlingly endangering the public for failure to have her designated dangerous dog properly contained.

So now a lady is injured and three dogs are dead because the owner of the two bigger dogs was criminally irresponsible. I hope she's not allowed to get yet another dog, which she would almost certainly fail to train and/or contain as well. Poor little Cassidy. My condolences to Ms. Doolittle.

This is why I go armed on all walks and runs. My family has been charged by agressive dogs too many times to even walk down the road without at least two implements to ward off an attacking dog. Ms. Shumer is a sorry, irresponsible dog owner. Not only should she be charged by SJSO and held criminally liable, but she shouldn't own dogs.